Anthony A. Zvirblys

1923 - 2017

1923 - 2017
Anthony A. Zvirblys died Sunday, April 23, 2017, aged 93, in the home he shared with his wife and best friend of almost 55 years, Mary P. Hogan Zvirblys. He is the last surviving member of his Lithuanian family which included brothers Joseph, Alphonse, John, and sisters Helen and Anna. They endured the Great Depression while living in Elizabeth Port, NJ.

Tony was a member of the Greatest Generation; an army veteran of World War II and Purple Heart recipient. He described his family's service as part of WNET New York War Stories archives: "I am the last of four brothers who served during WWII. Two of us were wounded in combat, I was shot by a sniper in Rosignano, Italy, on July 5, 1944, south of Genoa." After the war, he attended Rider College, receiving a degree in business. He went on to work in the federal government for 28 years.

He met his Irish-born future wife while traveling in Europe. They raised three daughters, Catherine, Ann and Aileen together in Roselle, NJ moving in retirement to Washington, NJ.

Tony lived a life to which we all should aspire: he was retired for more years than he had been employed and was a world traveler: visiting Cuba in the 1950's, behind the iron curtain to Lithuania in the 1980's and many times to Ireland with Mary and his daughters. He loved and supported the arts, listened to classical music and opera, and enjoyed reading history and studying foreign cultures. He listened religiously to the opera every Saturday, Live From the Met, on WQXR. He had an operatic singing voice that would have been at home on the Met stage. Tony was an avid reader of the NY Times for over 70 years. A man with a wealth of knowledge, and one before his time, he was a one-man protest army, writing letters to various papers when the politics of the day prompted such or protesting social and political injustices in person.

Tony is survived by his wife Mary and his three daughters, Catherine (Michael) Dowling, Ann (John) Tarafas, Aileen (Michael) Martucci, eight grandchildren: Bridgid, Ainsley, Alina, Annelise, Andrew, Joelle, Katarina, and Maria. To them, Grandpa was their favorite story teller, silly face-maker, and friend.

In Anthony's memory, toast to him with a glass of red wine and listen to Luciano Pavarotti sing Puccini's aria Nessum Dorma. This is what Tony would have enjoyed.

Friends and family may pay their respects on Friday 04/28/17 from 7:00-9:30 PM and again on Saturday 04/29, from 10:00 – 10:30 AM at the Warren Hills Memorial Home, 234 W. Washington Ave. Washington, NJ 07882. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday 04/29, at 11:00 AM from St Joseph Catholic Church, 200 Carlton Ave. Washington, NJ. Interment will follow at the parish cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please send contributions in his memory to St. Peter and Paul R.C. Church, Elizabeth, N.J or St Joseph's R.C Church, Outreach Ministry - Food Bank, Washington, NJ 07882.